Student Visa Requirements for Malaysians Studying in the UK

Start with your CAS

Your UK university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once you have accepted your offer and met any conditions. The CAS is a reference number, not a physical document, and it links to details about your course, tuition fees, and the university's licence to sponsor Student visas. You cannot submit a Student visa application without one, so confirm your CAS date with your university's international office before you plan your application timeline.

You can apply for your Student visa up to 6 months before your course start date if you are applying from outside the UK. Build in time for document preparation and a biometric appointment at a visa application centre in Malaysia, since processing can take several weeks.

Financial evidence

You must show you can cover both your course fees and your living costs. Course fees are whatever your CAS states you still owe, unless you have already paid a portion to your university and can prove it. Living costs are calculated per month for up to 9 months, based on where you will study.

From 11 November 2025, UK Visas and Immigration requires £1,529 a month for courses inside London, and £1,171 a month for courses outside London, according to the official gov.uk financial requirement guidance . Check the current figures on gov.uk before you apply, since these amounts are reviewed periodically and change without much notice.

Your funds, or your parent or legal guardian's funds if they are financially sponsoring you, must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days in a row. The end of that 28-day period must fall no more than 31 days before the date you submit your application. If the balance dips below the required amount on any day in that window, the 28-day count restarts, so plan ahead rather than transferring money in at the last minute.

Dependants rules

Since January 2024, most international students on taught postgraduate (master's) courses in the UK cannot bring dependants such as a spouse or children on their visa. This restriction does not apply to PhD and other doctoral or research-based programmes, or to students on government-sponsored scholarships of a set minimum length. Confirm whether your specific course and funding route qualifies for a dependant visa with your university before you make family plans around your studies.

If you do qualify to bring dependants, each dependant needs their own financial evidence on top of your own. UK Visas and Immigration requires £845 a month for a dependant if you study in London, and £680 a month if you study outside London, for up to 9 months, under the same financial requirement guidance referenced above.

Other documents and checks

• A valid passport with at least one blank page.

• Proof of your English language ability, unless your prior education or nationality exempts you.

• A tuberculosis test certificate, since Malaysia is on the UK's list of countries where this is required.

• Parental or legal guardian consent documents if you are under 18.

• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance if your course is in certain sensitive science or technology fields.

You also pay the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) upfront as part of your application. The IHS gives you access to the National Health Service (NHS) for the length of your visa, and you pay it for the full course duration in one lump sum. Check current fee and surcharge amounts on gov.uk before you budget your total application cost, since both are reviewed periodically.

After you apply

You attend a biometric appointment where your fingerprints and photo are taken, and you may submit your passport and supporting documents either in person or by post, depending on the visa application centre's process in Malaysia. Once your visa is approved, you either collect a Biometric Residence Permit or activate your eVisa online account before you travel. Your visa is normally valid from a set number of days before your course start date, so avoid booking flights until your visa decision is confirmed.